Napoleonic Wars at Sea

The maritime side of the Napoleonic Wars, 1803 to 1815, saw the Royal Navy enforce a near-total blockade of French and allied ports, fight the decisive fleet action at Trafalgar in 1805, and project power worldwide while protecting British trade. Close blockade by the inshore squadrons, frigate cruising and prize-taking, and amphibious operations defined the period, alongside the economic war of the Continental System and the British Orders in Council. British command of the sea underpinned the eventual defeat of Napoleon.